The 77th
by pianoperson19
Summary: Everybody thought the government was wiped out. But no. They've risen to power and are continuing the Hunger Games.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, I took a few reviews into consideration and reedited this chapter. I'm still typing the next chapter.**

Peeta

Chapter 1

I wake up to sounds of crying. "It's your turn," Katniss murmurs. Groggily, I get out of bed and walk to the crib. Prim Rue lays there, bawling her eyes out. It's amazing how Cinna Finnick just lays there sleeping like…well a baby. I pick Prim Rue up and change her diaper. I'm done in a jiffy and she goes back to sleep. I yawn and go back into bed. Then, I fall into a horrid dream.

I'm in a crowd. We are all gathered in front of a stage. An overly dressed woman walks to a podium. Effie. "Welcome, welcome." she says in her Capitol voice. I glance around. We're all dressed in Sunday clothes. Peacekeepers are surrounding the area. This is the day of the reaping.

"Oh no," I mutter. "It's another flashback."

The Capitol's seal appears and the anthem is played. When that's over with, Effie starts talking. "Ladies first!" she says a little to enthusiastically. She reaches her long, gloved hand into a glass bowl. Prim's name is called out and she starts walking to the stage. Then, Katniss starts running and shouting, "I volunteer as tribute!"

She takes her place on stage and Effie walks to the bowl with the men's names. "Peeta Mellark!" she says crisp and clear. I start screaming and the whole scene starts dissolving. I snap out of my flashback and find myself gripping a wooden chair tightly. Effie, Haymitch, and Katniss are watching me. All of them are dressed up, although saying that for Effie was an understatement. She was stripped of her usual Capitol ridicule, and wore a simple blue dress with flowing blonde hair. Almost as if…no, that's stupid. Why would there be another Reaping?

I let go of the chair, embarrassed to find little cracks in it. Effie gasps. "That is mahogany!"

"Sorry," I murmur. Then, I wonder why they're here. "What are you doing here?"

"They're back," says Katniss.

"Who's back?"

"The government." says Haymitch. "We thought we defeated them a while back ago, but we were wrong. They've been building up ever since. They're finally powerful enough. They're starting the Hunger Games all over again."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"We're not," says Haymitch. He's serious. This is one of the few times he's ever been serious. "We can't explain that much. We barely know what's happening. We'll talk later. Hurry. The peacekeepers will punish us if we don't go to the Reaping soon."

I take a while to process this. What were they saying? We killed off the government a while back. "No," I mutter to myself. "It's not true."

"Peacekeepers are surrounding our house." says Katniss.

"No," I repeat.

"It'll be okay," says Effie, "We have a plan. You and Katniss won't go back into the ar-"

"No!" I scream out before she can finish the word.

Before anybody can say anything else, the door opens and a peacemaker walks in. "It's time." he says. None of us have to ask what he meant by that.

Katniss walks over to the crib and picks up the babies. They're both dressed up in reaping clothes. I had a horrible vision of their names being called out. An escort shouting, "Prim Rue Mellark!" and "Cinna Finnick Mellark!" They couldn't have been called out. They're not even 12. But what if the government makes "special" exceptions? They'd still probably try to get revenge. Katniss and I would volunteer for them. But then one of us would have to kill each other. I couldn't bear that thought. We walk out of our house. The primroses I planted are wilted. It's the government's work.

We turn towards the outskirts of Victor's Village. Only then did I realize that I was in Reaping clothes too. "Can't you explain any more?" I ask Haymitch. He opens his mouth to reply, but the peacekeeper harshly shouts, "No talking!" I fall silent. We leave Victor's Village and make our way to the Seam. It's been a while since we've been here.

We keep walking through and look at the cemetery, where Buttercup was buried. Katniss sighs sadly. She hated that cat, but it reminded her of Prim, who's body burned completely before they could save it. All the black markets and illegal stores we used to have are shut down. Large groups of people make their way to the Reaping area. White peacekeeper uniforms flood my vision. They're everywhere. How'd they get that many so soon?

We make our way out of the Seam and towards the Reaping area. There's a table where two ladies in white uniforms are. The peacemakers prick our fingers to identify us. Even the babies. I see their names appear on the scanner. This is not good.

Another peacemaker says the genders separate here. I grab Cinna Finnick and walk to where the boys are gathered. Haymitch stands next to me, his breath reeking of alcohol. "Don't worry, Effie and I thought you and Katniss deserve a little break. We've been planning it since they kicked us out of our houses this morning."

I spot Gale and start walking away from him. I don't think we're exactly on good terms. A lady in high heels walks onstage. She has a boisterous orange (soft, like the sunset) wig and glittering clothes. I hear Effie shout, "Imposter!" Katniss immediately shushes her before any peacemaker can punish her.

The Capitol's seal appears on the wall and the anthem plays. I cringe as I imagine a cannon booming somewhere in the distance. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the 77th Hunger Games!"

"When was the 76th?" I ask Haymitch.

"When that rebellion happened."

I wonder why people don't rebel now. Then, I took a look at the peacemakers surrounding the grounds. Cinna Finnick starts bawling in my hands, but I calm him down immediately. I started breathing deeply. This was all a bad dream. I was going to end up gripping another wooden chair. Katniss would be there calming me down.

I was wrong. It wasn't even a jacked-up memory that I was flashing back to. "Ladies first!" says the lady. She overdramatically reaches her gloved hand inside the glass bowl and pulls out a strip of paper. The name she reads it is the one I did not want to hear. "Prim Rue Mellark!"

Katniss starts screaming as the peacemakers try to pull the baby away. I wait for her to say, "I volunteer as tribute!" but the peacemakers hold her down and cover her mouth. I watch in horror as they carry the baby towards the stage. Why wouldn't somebody do anything?

Then, out of nowhere, Effie shouts, "I volunteer as tribute!"

An uproar of gasps and murmurs echo throughout the crowd. "What?" I ask Haymitch.

"All part of the plan, kid. Just don't try to volunteer this time and let me do the work."

Effie walks up to the stage in her simple, black shoes. What torture this must be for her. "How brave of you! You must be the first volunteer!"

"Second," Effie growls through the microphone.

"Oh, feisty aren't we? No matter, on to the gents!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I see peacemakers make their way to me. Their hands had thick gloves to cover my shouting.

The lady reaches in deeply for another strip of paper. She ruffles around and to no surprise, she calls out, "Cinna Finnick!"

I start to yell, "I volun-" but the peacekeepers hold me down and I'm stuck eating my own words.

Haymitch, however, shouts out, "I volunteer as tribute!"

Shouting does not help keep his alcohol breath contained.

"Another volunteer!" the lady says in fake excitement as he walks to the stage.

"Oh, I know! I'm the greatest person in the world!" Haymitch says mockingly.

The lady's smile fades and she looks back to the microphone. "Well, there you have it! Those are our tributes! Let the 77th Hunger Games begin! And may the odds be _ever_ in your favor!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, here it is!**

Haymitch

Chapter 2

"I'm supposed to say that!" Effie mutters.

We make our way through the crowd as people watch us. Katniss and Peeta stand out the most. They mouth, "What are you doing?" over and over again. I mouth back, "It'll be alright." but I couldn't be sure.

The peacekeepers grab our wrists and yank us towards the train. "Ouch!" yells Effie. "Do you have to pull so hard? I'm a _lady_, not a wild animal!"

"That's a matter of opinion," I mutter lowly. Apparently, she hears that and slaps me in the head. Ouch.

Effie and I walk onto the train. "Ugh, your breath is intolerable. Please lay off the alcohol, and would it kill you to not slouch?" I get to spend the next few days with this person. Hooray for me.

We walk into the dining room and sit down at a wooden table. I look around. This place is oozing with food and décor. A lot's changed since I went to the Hunger Games. The overdressed lady walks over to us. Now that I get a good look at her, I'd say overdressed is putting it lightly. Her skirt is a sparkling blue with crystals sewed into it. Her cobalt top has sparks flying off and hitting the floor. Effie stares at her in jealousy. "Hello, I'm Magdalene, your escort."

"That's _my _line!" Effie hisses in my ear.

I grab Magdalene's collar. Luckily, the sparks aren't actually flammable. "Explain," I said. "Now."

"Haymitch!" said Effie. I let the woman down. "Manners! You have to ask it like this. Excuse me impersonator, will you please tell us what the heck is happening here before I go insane?"

She tittered happily. Great. Another Capitol woman. Just what I needed. "You pathetic little rebels! You think you can take down the government? We've been plotting our revenge ever since you took us down! This is the reason District 13 was destroyed and the Hunger Games started. To show who's really in power! President Snow may be dead, but we have a new president! The Hunger Games is going to continue as it used to and we'll still rule all of Panem!"

"No you aren't!" I shout at her pathetic, heavily powdered face. "District 13 made _nuclear_ weapons, smart one. We can get them to bomb that little arena in seconds."

She laughed maliciously. "Don't you know what happened to your little friends in District 13? They're all dead! We took every one of their weapons! We've planned this for years, so don't think there's a way you can get out of this. Either you go in the Hunger Games, or we'll bomb every single district. Starting with 12."

I slumped back down in my seat. This wasn't good. It wasn't some sweet, warming nightmare. It was cold, hard reality. And it made sense. Once Katniss executed Coin and Snow started laughing himself to death, we never went back to the Capitol to check for any survivors. Our big mistake.

It's been years since that happened. They've had that much time to rebuild and grow. We've been blind all these years. Now, some middle aged man and slightly younger woman were being shipped to fight to the death in some arena. Then, some annoying person interrupts my thoughts. "Wait," says Effie. "Who's our mentor?"

Magdalene looks at us bewildered as a familiar face walks on board. Peeta. "What?" she says. "You're not allowed on here!"

"Actually, I am," says Peeta. "Haymitch and I are the only male winners of the Hunger Games, and since he's going, I'm your only other choice."

"No! This is _not_ according to plan!"

"Would you rather have Katniss instead?"

Katniss _was_ a skilled archer and more than likely will be a better teacher on how to kill people.

Magdalene sighed. "I'll allow it."

"Thought so."

The doors start closing and I see a dark braid. Katniss and Gale appear outside the window. Katniss waves to Peeta and blows a kiss, while Gale just smirks at him. Ah, young love.

Peeta sits down with me and Effie at the table. An avox starts serving us lunch. "Excuse me," I ask, "Could you bring me a full bottle of brandy?"

Effie glares at me. "What?" I ask while stuffing pieces of bread down my throat.

"Oh nothing," she says, "just watching how much you've changed."

I shrug. It's not like her opinions matter to me. The avox comes back with a full bottle of brandy. I thank her and start sipping from it. I sigh happily. It's been a while since I've had a drink.

Magdalene starts putting make up on while Effie stares at her with a dirty face. "Careful, doll face," I say, "Your face will freeze if you keep it that way."

She gives me a dirty look and starts eating.

"Okay," says Peeta, "I think Haymitch knows what to do, gain sponsors, stay alive, but Effie has absolutely no experience in survival."

"Isn't _that_ a surprise?" I ask sarcastically.

"Cool it Haymitch," says Peeta. "Anyway, Effie, you need to find something you're good at."

"I know!" I say. "Putting on makeup and looking as ridiculous as a clown!"

"Shush," says Effie. "I'll find something I'm good at." She takes a knife from the table and tries throwing it at the wall. It's a good thing the window wasn't fragile, because she threw it right there. The knife bounced off and landed on the floor.

"Okay…" says Peeta. "So throwing knives aren't your strong suit. Maybe we should save it for when you're training."

She nods and blushes. It's quite cute actually, watching her blush instead of blank expressions with strong makeup. We continue eating in silence. By then, the brandy has really gotten to me and I start to feel drunk.

"Haymitch?" Peeta's voice echoes. I start murmuring slurred speeches that made no sense to me.

"Oh, what a pathetic excuse of a human," says Effie…or was it Magdalene. Either way, it didn't hurt me. Did it? I try to make my way to the room, tripping many times in the process. I walk up to a door and watch it open.

I fall onto a bed, breathing in the soft fur. What a good way to start the day. First, the Hunger Games starts all over again and there's no way out of it. Next, I volunteer to save a baby. Now, I'm laying on a bed, knocked out and drunk. Wonderful. The world spins out in a blur and I fall asleep.

When I wake up, the windows are soft orange. I rub my eyes and stand up, expecting to fall over again. It wasn't too bad. I walked to the door, only falling flat on my face once. I manage to make my way down the hall. Effie sat at the table, chatting with Magdalene about fashion tips. I scoffed. Women. Meanwhile, Peeta sat in the corner, drawing something.

I decide to avoid the fashion tips and discuss stuff with Peeta. I look over at his drawing. It's a picture of Katniss with a bow and arrow. She has a mockingjay pin and the sun is setting behind her. He didn't notice me watching him draw with colored pencils behind him. "How sweet," I say.

He jumps and turns around. "What do you want?" he asks.

"You're Effie's and my mentor. Aren't you supposed to give us tips on survival?"

"You don't need mentoring. You've already been through the games."

"Effie hasn't. Care to teach her?"

"Why? Do you care about her or something?"

I start to reject that, but all I could do was stutter.

He sighed and walked over to the table. I followed him and we both sat down.

Peeta clears his throat and the two women stop talking. "Effie, the number one rule of surviving in the Hunger Games is getting sponsors. And to do that, you have to get people to like you."

"That'll happen," I mutter.

"Then why don't you explain Haymitch?" he asks. "You've mentored Katniss and me and we both made it out alive."

I sighed and turned to Effie. "Look doll face,"

"Quit calling me that, you insufferable fool."

"Alright sweetie, I suggest you make a back story."

"Like what?"

"You're an escort-"

Magdalene clears her throat and says, "Used to be an escort."

"-and you've watched many of your tributes been sent to their death. Maybe in the interviews you could talk about how sad it was watching each of them die in the arena. People will definitely sponsor you if you talk about that."

"But what about you Haymitch?" asks Effie. "Don't you need sponsors too?" She sounded very concerned. "You _are_ very un-like-able." I take that back.

"I'll deal with it myself." I growl.

The avox comes by and starts serving us dinner. Tomato soup, full rack of ribs, and blackberry ice cream for dessert. Magdalene and Effie continue to chat away with their fashion tips while Peeta and I start eating. I ask the avox for another bottle of alcohol, but Peeta immediately tells her to cancel it.

"The hell was that for?" I ask.

"You're going into the Hunger Games again," he says. "You need to stop drinking so much or else you'll wind up the first to be killed in the arena."

"Oh yes," interrupts Effie, "We wouldn't want _that_ now would we?"

"You're one to talk," I say harshly. "High heels just slow you down. If the bloodbath at the cornucopia doesn't kill you, I will."

She stops her smirking and frowns, hurt. She gets up from the table and walks slowly to her room.

"Nice going," says Peeta.

"What? It's not like I'm lying."

"Still. Why'd you guys have to volunteer anyway?"

"Well, those peacekeepers wouldn't let you volunteer. Plus, Effie and I discussed it on the way to your house. We decided to let you two have a rest. You've been in enough games."

"And now Effie is starting to rethink of that plan."

I shrug and get up. I walk to my room and lay on my bed. It hurts being sober. I desperately wanted another drink. The train's rocking lulls me to sleep. Well, that and Effie's sobbing from the other room. I tried thinking if it was wrong that it bothered me and made me feel the slightest bit guilty.


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, so this is the longest because I find Effie a bit more interesting point of view. PLEASE leave a review.**

Effie

Chapter 3

I sit in front of my mirror in my room. I am a mess. My bland, blonde hair is starting to frizz, my face that used to be pale white is now a natural, ugly light tan, my nails have lost their bright, neon colors, and my eyes are red and puffy from crying, all because of what that beast said.

I sniff and straighten up. Mother always told me a decent lady has good posture. I hear a knock on my door. It's loud, clear, and sharp. It's definitely not Haymitch. "Come in!" I say with the politest voice I can muster.

Magdalene walks in. I still have trouble deciding whether she is an enemy or friend. She helped start the Hunger Games again (which I was against from the first day I was an escort)…but she did help with my fashion issues.

She clears her throat. "Peeta thinks it's best to coach each of you separately." I dip my head to the left and see around her. Peeta is wrestling a drunk Haymitch who repeatedly shouts, "Gimme more liquor!"

"Peeta thought well."

"He sent me to help each of you with getting sponsors and what to say at the interviews. Anyway, the best path to getting sponsors is your appearance, which needs a little work." I don't argue. I, myself, had better days. "So, I've decided for you to go with a natural look."

"_What_?" I ask very unladylike.

"It's different from the Capitol's usual perfection. I think it's best that you show the lower standards of every day Districts." I officially count this woman as an enemy. "So, we have to make you look as shallow and poor as possible!" Scratch that. She's now #1 on my list of people to kill.

She straightens my hair with a straightening iron and then adds a folded handkerchief at the top, making me look like a poor housewife. She makes me put on ragged dress with a dirty apron over it. "How did you even _get _these clothes in there?" I ask. "Easy," she says. "we collected them from the houses in District 13." I shiver at the thought. So many people have died. She adds a few makeup here and there to make me look whatever a District 12 person would look like. Then, for the finishing touch, she makes me wear…tap dancing shoes.

I look at myself in the mirror again. Whatever I looked like a few minutes ago was a Capitol woman compared to this. I looked like something my mother would crumple up and throw into a garbage can. My once bright blonde hair is dirty and straight with a few hairs sticking up. My face has a few scratches and bruises. My dress is too ruined to even be called a dress. The list goes on and on.

"So?" asks Magdalene. "What do you think?"

"I look disgusting! How would the Capitol people love me and want to sponsor me? A dead fish has a better chance at gaining more sponsors!"

"Fine! If that's what you _really_ think about it, you can get rid of it! But don't come crying to me once you're in the arena and nobody sends you a magical parachute to clear all your troubles!"

She leaves the room in a rage. The sun has already set by now and the moon is high in the sky. I walk over to my drawers and rummage around in the top drawer. Many of them are drab and ragged. I push that drawer shut and look in the one below. That one has no luck either. I keep on looking until I'm at the last one. Each of them had as much luck as the previous ones. I start to push it when a bright green piece of fabric catches my eye.

I quickly grab it and pull it out. It's a glittery neon green dress. Not exactly what I wanted, but it was better than nothing. I fit it over my head and smile happily. Now to get rid of this horrid makeup.

I walk over to the restroom down the hall and start washing everything off. My makeup, my blonde hair, etc. I made sure to lock the door, as this would take a while. Then, Haymitch's moan comes through the other side. "Lemme in!"

"What do you want, Haymitch?" I ask harshly.

"Well, I gotta pee, poop, and ja-"

"That's nice," I cut him off before he can the next word. "But I have fashion issues here." I ignore the rest of his moans and keep wiping everything off with a wet napkin. Finally, I look young and average again. I start to unlock the door and put Haymitch out of his misery when I see a curling iron. I look at my straight, drab hair. Well, I guess a few curls wouldn't hurt. Haymitch is banging by now, but I start curling.

"Come on!" he howls. "You've been in there for 30 minutes!"

"Can you please wait?" I ask in the politest tone possible. "I'm having a midlife crisis here!"

"More like an afterlife crisis if you ask me."

"Thank you Haymitch, and just for that comment, I am purposely going to take longer with my crisis."

"Wait, I didn't mean-" I tune him out and get to my hair.

It felt nice finally fixing myself up. I make each curl big, bouncy, and boisterous. The three B's of Capitol couture. I put down the iron when I'm done. My hair actually looks Capitolish. Except for the fact that it's an ordinary color, but I can overlook that. Haymitch keeps complaining about his bladder size, but I find some makeup on a shelf. I apply it for at least 10 minutes. By now, my face is a perfect white instead of the ugly tan I had a while ago.

I turn around, satisfied, and open the door so the dog can have his moment in the restroom. Before he rushes in, he takes a look at me. "Nice job princess," he says. "Now you look worse than you did before."

My jaw drops as he shuts the door in my face. "Well then!" I say. I turn around and walk into my room. That is it. That was the last straw. When we get into the arena, I am going to guarantee Haymitch that his death will be caused by me.

I flop onto my bed and I start thinking of weapons to kill him with. A bow and arrow? Katniss has tried to teach me that in her free time. She made it look so easy, but I am useless with one. Throwing knives? Absolutely not. An axe? That's his weapon. I keep thinking of each and every weapon.

I give up after a while. Why can't I be posed as a threat for once? I just want to survive. The only time I posed as a threat was when all my tributes boarded this train. Then Haymitch scares them even more with his drunk being. All my life I've been seen as a little, innocent female. Why couldn't I have a deadly feature? Sharp nails and stilettos don't exactly count. I sigh sadly and stuff my head into a pillow. I fall asleep into a dream where everybody's the scariest and deadliest except me.

I wake up to a knock on my door. It's followed with a drunk man's voice shouting, "Get up!" It's definitely Haymitch. I walk to my mirror, make myself look a bit more decent, and walk out.

The smells of freshly baked bread, strawberries, and chocolate waft to me. My stomach growls, but I restrain myself since Peeta still isn't at the table. I sit down at the table and politely fold my hands over my lap. I ignore Haymitch's breath that smells like liquor and Magdalene's glare at my glamorous clothes.

Peeta walks out of his room and yawns. He sits at the empty seat next to Magdalene. We all start eating. I stabbed a fork through my strawberry pastry and chew it. Haymitch obnoxiously stuffs everything in his mouth with greed. I glare at the cracks he's making in the wooden table. It's mahogany, like the chair Peeta cracked. My eye twitches a little bit, but I keep eating.

"So, Effie," says Peeta after he's swallowed his croissant. "What happened to you while the rebellion was going on?"

I sip some of my hot chocolate and ask, "When did the rebellion start?"

"Sometime during the quarter quell." Ah yes. That point in time.

"Well, after the games started, I returned home to my house in the Capitol to watch the games. Then, when the arena got destroyed and Katniss was picked up by Plutarch, President Snow sent forces to lock me up. They suspected I was part of this. They kept me locked up in his house while the rebellion kept going. Then, Octavia, Flavius, and Venia were caught hostage by District 13. Many of us tried to go with them, but those were shot down.

"The rest of us were hidden somewhere far away in some sort of chamber. They tortured each of us, one by one. I was next. I didn't want to sit in the electric chair. Then, Haymitch leads an army in and saved us all. They killed the peacemakers and brought us to District 13, where I met up with Katniss before she executed Coin. Ever since, I've been living by myself in Victor's Village ever since. I didn't want to go back to the Capitol. Every one of my fellow escorts were dead or relocated to another District."

"Did you ever have a loved one that was killed in the rebellion?" asks Haymitch.

"Why? Are you jealous?"

"Nope, just helping you with your back story for the interviews." Obviously, he was lying, but I almost fell for it.

"Well, my mother died when I became an escort, my father died before that, I'm an only child, and I've always been single."

"Any close friends that died?" asks Peeta.

"I've had friends that died, but none of them were really that close."

"Then how the hell are you supposed to get sponsors?" asks Haymitch.

"Manners!" I hiss. "And I'll find a way."

He rolls his eyes and continues stuffing himself with food. How lovely. Peeta and Magdalene continue eating. I set my plate aside and wonder _how_ I'm supposed to get sponsors. Magdalene's suggestion about appearance was a complete failure. Peeta hasn't come up with a back story for me. And now Haymitch is being a complete slob like always. I get out of my chair and walk to the window. Blurs of trees and foliage zip by. We should get to the Capitol by tomorrow morning. Then the interviews. Then the training. Then the judges scoring us. And finally, the Hunger Games. I shiver. I am not prepared.

I try making up a back story. I've never had somebody really close to me die in the rebellion. I've never dated. Never had the time to. None of the tributes I've met made a huge impact on me (aside from Peeta and Katniss).

I groan in frustration and walk to my room. People will never sponsor me. I sit down at the bed and try to think of ways to survive. I've watched many Hunger Games. Many die from the bloodbath at the cornucopia. But then again, those who don't go to the cornucopia die from starvation and dehydration, therefore called the Hunger Games. Others get killed from other tributes. Strong tributes. Deadly tributes. Tributes that have more physical strength than me.

A big hole forms in my stomach. I curl into a ball and rock back and forth. "I'm going to die," I repeat to myself over and over again. I had a very slim chance at survival. Might as well hope for the worst. Maybe I'll eat nightlock berries. Those are the quickest way to die. But I don't know how much pain it'd be. I think about the 2nd deadliest berry.

Nobody's ever been killed by this berry in the Hunger Games, but it's there. Capitol nurses and doctors give it to patients to put them out of their misery. They say it's the most peaceful way to die. It's called the viper berry. It's a bright pink, like my wig, and it's hidden very well in the Hunger Games. People who eat this berry die within a half hour from eating. That'd be my #1 target. A viper berry.

I stretch myself out and take a nap for who knows long. I need my beauty sleep. After all, appearance is a big impression for a dead person.

I wake up in the middle of night. _Wow_, I think to myself. _I must _really_ need that beauty sleep_. I get up and walk to the dining room. It's midnight and it's almost empty. Haymitch is rummaging through the fridge, looking for another drink. I sigh. I really pity him.

I walk over to the fridge and shut the door in his face. "What the fuck was that for?" he asks rudely.

I shut my eyes tight for a moment. I've never tolerated foul language. "Manners!" I hiss in his face. "And I closed that fridge for your own good!"

"Listen, princess, I've been in the Hunger Games. The only person who needs help is you." He opens the fridge door and takes out a bottle.

"Haymitch Abernathy, if you take one sip out of that bottle-"

"Whaddaya gonna do? You're just a Capitol woman. You people don't even know how to protect yourself." He brings the bottle to his lips but I slap it out of his hand. It shatters on the floor. He's surprisingly not mad. Just shocked. "Why do you care about me winning so much?" he asks.

"Because, I've already decided to forfeit. I have no chance in winning. Might as well have another District 12 victor."

He reaches inside the fridge for another bottle. I raise my hand up, poised and ready to strike if he tries to get another drink. It's not what I expect. He hands the bottle to me.

"Are you insane?" I ask him. "I'm a sophisticated woman. I am never going to drink that!"

"Hey, you're giving yourself up anyway." he says. "Might as well live like you're dying. Which you are." I stare at him. His words were cold, but they were true. I couldn't blame him. Besides, I couldn't spend the rest of the train thinking of all the ways I could die. Reluctantly, I grab the bottle.

"Yeah!" he says a little too loud. "Now we're talking!"

I smile a little bit and take a sip. It's strong and I automatically reject it. "That's the beauty of it," says Haymitch. "You gotta keep drinking to get used to it!" I sigh and take a few more sips. I start to like it.

I drink straight through the whole bottle. It's not enough. I get another pair of bottles and hand one to Haymitch. He applauds me. "Effie Trinket has finally lived." He pats me gently on the back. I smile. I feel a little accomplished that he's proud of me for once. Even if it is just Haymitch.

We drink through at least a dozen more bottles. No wonder he's addicted to this kind of stuff. I pass out with my head down on the counter. Haymitch tries to make it to his room and ends up halfway across the dining room.

When I wake up, the dining room is a mess. All the food is turned over and on the floor. The mahogany table is on its side. Glass shards cover the floor. Why did I agree to drinking?

I look out the window. We are about to enter the Capitol. Haymitch is lying face flat on the floor. I quickly wake him up and start panicking.

"What are we supposed to do? Magdalene and Peeta will kill us! This is not expected of a Capitol woman! And will you please go to the washroom and take a shower? You smell atrocious."

"Relax woman, don't get your pink bras in a twist."

I gasp. "How do you know what color my bras are?"

"Long story, and I'd shower if it wasn't so hard to operate."

"Honestly Haymitch, you just turn the knob, strip all your clothes off, and enjoy the luxury of being cleansed."

"Care to show me?"

Before I can object, Magdalene walks through the door. She stops and takes a look around. "What happened here?" she asks a bit too loud. She gasps as she takes a look at me. "Have you no shame?" I blush but quickly get over it.

She continues to scold both of us for our behavior. I don't know how long it takes, but it seemed like an eternity. I cringe at every word Magdalene says. I've never been in trouble before. Everybody saw me as an angel.

Peeta walks through the door as Magdalene was about to chew out Haymitch next (yes, she took that long to chew me out first). The train suddenly stops rocking and I look outside the window. We're here. We're in the Capitol.


End file.
